Exodus Hymn Reflection: Kyrie Eleison, Mozart Mass

https://youtu.be/D96fYJnkuLk?feature=shared

This hymn reflection is from day 57

How much do we think about 3 lines in the Mass?

Near the beginning of mass, we have some lines that are sometimes still kept in the original Koine Greek.

Kyrie Eleison

Christe Eleison

Kyrie Eleison

We repeat these words after they are said. For those that are familiar with the Vetus Ordo, each of these lines is actually said 3 times to put extra emphasis on them, as though the 9 choirs of angels were praying these words.

Lord have mercy

Christ have mercy

Lord have mercy

Something that normally takes less than 20 seconds to say.

What do these words mean to you?

How long do we spend thinking why Mother Church has kept this part of the liturgy since well before the Old Rite was even formed? Saying the Kyrie Eleison is the closest many of us will get to praying the prayers of the ancient Christians short of learning Aramaic, Koine Greek, or Latin.

The continuous call for mercy throughout the ages is something that the Church has proclaimed all the way throughout its life ever since its conception, echoing the very words of our saviour on Calvary as He calls the Father to forgive us. However, this prayer goes back even further, to the Lord's people in ancient Israel. This phrase of asking for mercy comes up in several of the Psalms and comes from several people in the New Testament.

This is a phrase that has been said throughout the ages; and when we say these words, we say the words that pretty much every saint ever has said. As early as the 6th century, it was commented on by Pope St Gregory the Great as being part of standard liturgy both in the East and West.

How many souls have sung this melody of the Church only for them to disregard it and/or take it for granted?

Especially today, when we reflect on the Transfiguration, we must look at ourselves and ask if we expect to see the changes that Christ will bring about in us if we don't actually use what we are given.

I believe part of the beauty prayer is the depth of reflection that comes with it. When a seasoned person prays it, the context of the prayer is more loaded. Each iteration of the word is explored. Each word can draw essays and be subsequently re-refined to that single term. Prayer is a well that we draw from and can be made incredibly personal through use and reuse.

I tell you that the number one habit that will lead to change more than any other is consistency. It is in consistency that one is able to pray time and time again and both perceive and admire the personal connection that the Lord is fostering with us.

There is a trust and persistence that are also needed along with this consistency. From my own experience, I find it easy to go off on my own and try to do things my own way, and I end up becoming impatient with the seeming lack of progress. Again, it is important to remind ourselves in this moment of our "why". Why do we want to persist? Why do we strive for union with the Lord?

It can be very easy to lose sight of what graces and favours we have already been blessed with by the Lord, and we should remind ourselves where we are and where we could have been if not for the Lord.

There is a story from the life of Saint Philip Neri that accounts him watching a prisoner being led to his execution, at which the Saint burst into tears and exclaimed that, if not for the grace of God, that would have been him. How much worse off would we be without the grace of the Lord if we wallowed in the sin and evil that he has allowed us to overcome with His Grace?

The flip side of persistence is that the heart may long to try new things — the impatience that can sometimes come from only looking at our timeline and not the Lord's. Or, sometimes we are defeated by boredom or someone selling us a devotion pretty well and getting our intrigue. Although there is nothing wrong with picking wisely when it comes to choosing a devotion or a spirituality to practice, it is important to remember that these are all tools, and they only work to transform us slowly. They are like a sculptor with a chisel or a carpenter with a lathe. One stroke at a time to transform us.

I may come from a place of wariness, and maybe I sound like a doubting Tommy; however, at the same time, when I jump I want to be as sure as I can that the Lord is wanting me to do this. To share my personal experience, I was aware of Exodus and Marian Consecration for many years before I did either of them, and I felt that the Lord would let me know, in his own way, when the time was right to engage in either of these devotions. I believe he did just that before I began each discipline, and I believe that he was calling me to undertake the necessary spiritual practice for a new chapter in my life. Another devotion of mine was more of a sign, which I may share about another time.

But enough about me for now.

When Mozart heard this simple ( or maybe not so simple, as I have tried to demonstrate) prayer, he was inspired to write a musical composition and immortalise his understanding of what the Lord was calling him to do. When I sang this with my school choir, I'll be honest, most of the meaning on me was lost, and the opportunity for me to engage more deeply in the sacrifice of the Mass was wasted. Mozart here manifests the deep plea of his inner heart and gives us the prayer of a penitent man grieving for his error and begging the Lord for mercy for his sorrow of having sinned. When we pray these words, do we mean them, or do we just pay them lip service?

Lord, thank you for Your most Holy Mass where, as the Church, we are joined at calvary and experience with the Son the moment of our salvation. Let us hear you as you speak to us through your Mass with these 3 lines, and may we treasure them as they assist us on our journey towards you. Amen